News surfaced last week that Celtic had rejected a loan bid for forgotten midfielder James McCarthy. Per Sky Sports, Greek side Volos FC wanted to bring in the Irishman on loan until the end of the current campaign.
The move would admittedly have been rather strange, although questions marks were raised over why Celtic didn’t accept Volos’ offer. Indeed, McCarthy has yet to make a first-team appearance in green and white since Brendan Rodgers returned to the club.
His presence on the park hasn’t been missed but every week, the 33-year-old picks up a hefty wage as part of the four-year deal he signed in 2021. Any team having to come in for him would likely have to cover at least part of his pay, and that is why Clyde 1 pundit Gordon Dalziel thinks Celtic booted out the loan bid.
Speaking on Superscoreboard (via Football Scotland), Dalziel outlined his thoughts that the champions didn’t trust Volos to cover the wage: “If you’re going to take a player on loan, you’ve got to contribute something to it and I think that Celtic felt that the club (Volos) wasn’t prepared to do that”, he said.
“So what is the point in putting a player out there and recouping nothing for him and not getting any wages or nothing towards his wages and that’s why Celtic have probably dug their heels in.”
A Celtic exit for McCarthy before the expiration of his contract seems unlikely. The Irishman has just two transfer windows remaining before his deal comes to an end and unless a side is overly eager to take him and contribute towards his wage, one can see the midfielder staying in Glasgow until summer 2025.
